‘Eaters’ slide continues

Steve Virgen

This was a game they had to have. It turned out to be a game that

got away.

UC Irvine lost its third straight Big West Conference basketball

game, its longest losing streak since the 1999-2000 season, after Cal

Poly San Luis Obispo outlasted the Anteaters, 74-68, before 2,175 at

the Bren Events Center Saturday night. The Mustangs outscored UCI,

6-0, in the final 2:50.

UCI Coach Pat Douglass said his squad became complacent with a

10-point lead. Cal Poly’s 6-foot-8 junior forward Varnie Dennis said

the Anteaters’ big men played little.

“Their post men aren’t very physical,” said Dennis, who scored a

game-high 20 points.

“They came in wanting to beat us, wanting to get back on their

feet. We took that personal. Their coach picked us low in the

conference (preseason rankings) and he said he had the best

frontcourt in the conference. We didn’t think they thought very

highly of us. We came in with a chip on our shoulder.”

UCI’s 7-0 junior center Adam Parada led the Anteaters with 16

points, yet 12 came in the first half. Meanwhile, junior forward

Stanislav Zuzak, who went scoreless in a 70-54 loss to UC Santa

Barbara Thursday night, finished with eight points, all in the first

half. UCI senior forward Jordan Harris scored eight points.

“In some ways he’s right,” Parada said of Dennis’ post-game

comments. “I think that’s (physical play) something we’ve lacked.

But, I personally take that as a challenge, something to look forward

to for next time.”

UCI has not lost two straight home games since the 1999-00 season

when the Anteaters lost to Boise State and Fullerton. Those Anteaters

finished 14-14, 7-9 in the Big West. This year’s UCI team is 11-7,

5-4 in the Big West and at the lowest point of its season.

UCI is now tied for fourth place with Cal Poly in the Big West.

“It’s a tough loss,” Douglass said. “We’ve kind of needed this one

to break out of this rut we’re in, and we didn’t get it. We had a

good first half. We just couldn’t sustain the level of play for 40

minutes.”

UCI freshman Jeff Gloger once again showed great hustle throughout

the game. He scored 13 points and recorded two steals.

UCI shot 44.4% (16 for 36) in the first half and committed just

two turnovers. The Anteaters committed 11 turnovers in the first half

on their way to losing to Santa Barbara, 70-54, Thursday night. UCI

shot 30.8% in the second half (8 for 26).

“I told my guys, you’re in a hornets’ nest because I knew Pat

would have his guys ready to play hard,” Cal Poly Coach Kevin Bromley

said. “These guys (the Anteaters) don’t lose two straight games at

home. But a loss can crack the psyche. I told my guys, if you keep

going at them, they’re going to worry and remember about losing, and

they’re going to crack. I’m proud of my team. They were really ready

to play.”

Cal Poly picked up its third road win on a night when Long Beach

State upset Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters played with little emotion throughout the game, but

their business-like approach was enough to build a 44-34 halftime

lead. In the second half, Cal Poly went on a 10-0 run. Daiby Karma

capped the spurt with a three-pointer that brought the deficit to,

48-46, with 15:52 left.

The Mustangs later caught UCI at 51-51, after a three-pointer by

Steve Geary (14 points) with 14:13 left. Cal Poly maintained its

momentum and built a 64-57 lead with 5:35 left. But, UCI senior guard

Mike Hood kept the Anteaters in the game, scoring nine of UCI’s final

11 points. He hit back-to-back three-pointers and then nailed three

consecutive free throws after being fouled on three-point shot

attempt. His three free throws tied the game, 68-68, with 2:50

remaining.

“We’re definitely going through a hard time,” Hood said. “The

losses hurt. When we can prevent them, that hurts even more. We

played well in the first half, and they made a run in the second

half. We lost our composure.

“But the season is not done. These are bumps in the road and we

need to learn from them. We’ll turn it around.”

The Anteaters will have a chance to turn it around Wednesday at

7:05 p.m. when they host UC Riverside.

UCI defeated Riverside, 81-77, Jan. 11.

ZOTS -- Saturday night’s game will be televised on Cox

Communications (Channel 3) today at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., Monday at 6

p.m. and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ... UCI built a 33-23 lead in the first

half with a new lineup. The Anteaters featured a three-guard look, as

Jeff Gloger, Mike Efevberha and Ross Schraeder were in the backcourt,

while Greg Ethington and Parada still kept UCI big. The ‘Eaters

Outscored Cal Poly, 12-5, in a five-minute span ... Before the game,

UCI had a Moment of silence in remembrance of the space shuttle

tragedy.